🏀 Train · 4 min read
The Shooting Form Checklist Parents Can Actually Use
You'll watch more of your player's shots than any coach ever will. You don't need to teach mechanics, but knowing the big four checkpoints lets you reinforce what we coach instead of accidentally contradicting it.
The big four
- ✓Feet: shoulder-width, toes roughly at the rim, knees bend on every shot
- ✓Elbow: under the ball, not winged out sideways
- ✓Eyes: on the rim, not following the ball's flight
- ✓Follow-through: hand stays up, fingers pointing down into the rim ('reach into the cookie jar')
What to say (and not say)
One cue at a time. A kid can fix their elbow OR their feet in a session, never both. 'Great follow-through on that one' beats a list of corrections. And after a miss, silence is a fine option; they know it missed.
Distance discipline
The fastest way to ruin young form is shooting from too far too soon. If form breaks to reach the rim, move closer. Made shots from 8 feet with clean mechanics build a jumper; heaves from the arc build bad habits that take years to undo.
General information for sports families, not medical or dietary advice. For anything specific to your child, talk to your pediatrician.
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